Daijiworld Media Network - Patna

Patna, Dec 2: Bihar’s Vigilance Department carried out two major anti-corruption operations on Tuesday, arresting a revenue employee in Kishanganj and a senior agriculture officer in Samastipur for accepting bribes in separate cases.

In Kishanganj, revenue employee Rajdeep Paswan was caught red-handed after Khagra resident Owais Ansari complained that Paswan had demanded ?2.5 lakh to process a land mutation file. A secret inquiry confirmed the allegation, prompting a seven-member Vigilance team to lay a trap. Paswan was arrested near Abhishek Hotel with the bribe money in hand. His sudden arrest caused panic in the block office, with several staff members fleeing the premises. Officials said he will be taken to Patna for further legal action.

In a separate operation, Vigilance officers in Patna arrested Rakesh Kumar, the Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer of Dalsinghsarai in Samastipur, after he allegedly demanded ?40,000 to issue permission for setting up a shop in a market committee area. His assistant Lalan Kumar was also detained. The trap was set following a complaint filed on November 30 and subsequent verification of the charges.

Both arrests underscore the Vigilance Department’s intensified crackdown on corruption across Bihar, with officials reiterating that strict action will continue against government employees involved in graft.